Early-Career Abstract Landscape by Tony Abeyta

Emerging Tempest: Tony Abeyta’s Early Mastery in Pastel

This original pastel was made by Diné of the Navajo Nation artist Tony Abeyta. According to Abeyta, the piece was completed when he was 17 years old and studying at the Institute of American Indian Arts. The lower half of the image is an abstract landscape, and the upper half is a storm. Abeyta would go on to create many compelling paintings of storms in a variety of styles. This piece presents an opportunity to view his early explorations of those images.

Abeyta selected a darker palette for this image, using mostly black, blue, and maroon tones to create his storm scene. Greens, oranges, and pinks appear as well, adding lively energy to the downpour. Abyta used pastels primarily and augmented those materials with paints. The paper's off-white tone peeks through certain areas, most notably in the horizontal line that divides the image near its center. The image is moody, mysterious, and quite impressive, especially when the age of its maker is taken into consideration.

The artist's signature is inscribed into the paint in the lower left corner. The paper is mounted over a black background, under glass in a black frame.

Diné artist Tony Abeyta (b. 1965) is one of the most prominent contemporary Native American painters. Abeyta was educated at Santa Fe's Institute of American Indian Arts, the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, and overseas in Italy and Southern France. His father was Diné painter Narciso Platero Abeyta (1918-1998) Ha So De. Abeyta's works are included in major museums around the world, and he has received many notable awards and accolades for his work. Abeyta lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Berkeley, California.

Condition: very good condition, one small crease in lower right corner

Provenance: this Early-Career Abstract Landscape by Tony Abeyta is from a private collection

Recommended Reading: Abeyta | To'Hajiilee K'é  This book is about a former exhibit at the Wheelwright Museum in Santa Fe. It chronicles the important Navajo family of artists, a father, son, and two daughters: Narciso Abeyta (1918-1998), Pablita Abeyta (1953-2017), Elizabeth Abeyta (1955-2006) Nah-Glee-eh-Bah, and Tony Abeyta (b. 1965). The catalog-book is available at the Wheelwright Museum.

TAGS: Navajo Nation, Native American Fine Art, Narciso Platero Abeyta, Tony Abeyta, Elizabeth Abeyta